First sentence(s):
The inky sky outside Mae Li's bedchamber window changed to swallow gray then violet. Today the matchmaker, Song Ren, would come.

A prequel novella to the POWER OF THE MATCHMAKER Series
Mystical . . . Beautiful . . . Romantic . . .

Read the matchmaker’s story to find out where it all starts . . .

Mae Li has been in love with Chen Zhu for years, and he with her. But when the matchmaker arrives at the Zhu family home, she recommends another village girl for Chen.

Heartbroken, Mae Li watches as Chen does his duty by marrying another. Mae flees her village with the clothes on her back and her only possession—a pearl embedded comb, given to her as a goodbye gift from Chen Zhu.

Upon Mae’s arrival in Shanghai, she quickly learns that she’ll starve within days unless she sells her prized comb or joins a courtesan house. She goes to the Huangpu River and promises the River God that she’ll always be selfless if he will save her from becoming a prostitute . . . Her wish is granted when Ms. Tan, the matchmaker of Shanghai, finds Mae. But Mae must completely change her future and her name if she is to become the next matchmaker.

My two-bits:

Sweet but sad romance tale. However, an uplifting tale for the romantics as heart. Ah, love.

It was interesting to learn a little about the Chinese matchmaking process of the past. Got me wanting to read more history and nitty-gritty details of the matchmaking. Also, made me think of the matchmaking efforts (internet-wise) of the present day and if they actually work.

Loved how the main character forged her own way through life despite the limited choices available to her. She handled her own love and romance realistically for her time.

This prequel is a great way to kick off this upcoming romance series as I like knowing a bit of backstory and history of characters before getting into the main story.

BTW: The Mae Li character will be featured in the below stories next year. Looking forward to see how the stories play out and tie-in.